The Cloquet Fire ( kloh-KAY) was an immense forest fire in northern Minnesota, United States, in October 1918, caused by sparks on the local railroads amid dry conditions. The fire left much of western Carlton County devastated, mostly affecting Moose Lake, Cloquet, and Kettle River. Cloquet was hardest hit by the fires; it was the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history in terms of the number of casualties in a single day. It is also the third-deadliest wildfire in recorded history, behind the Peshtigo fire of 1871 and a 1936 wildfire that occurred in Kursha-2.
In total, 453 people died and 52,000 people were injured or displaced. Thirty-eight communities were destroyed, with 250,000 acres (100,000 ha) burned, and $73 million ($1.563 billion in 2025 United States dollars) in property damage; $13 million in federal aid was disbursed.
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